Too Close for Comfort
by Saroarrr
Summary: While investigating a case, things take an unexpected turn. Horrible summary... Give the fic a chance! :) Rated M for mature themes. Set in early seasons.
1. Chapter 1

Hey, everyone! This is my first Bones fanfiction, so please be patient with me! I really hope that you all enjoy and review! –Also, the characters do not belong to me, aside from the few I made up to help with the story (i.e. the Thomas's and Mr. Colt, etc.) Please R&R! Thanks! –Sarah

* * *

"Angela, have you come up with an ID for Jane Doe?" Brennan asked walking into her best friends' office.

Angela shook her head. "No, but I am scanning the reconstruction through the registry as we speak." She looked over at her friend and saw the dark circles under her eyes, the unusual ghost white paleness of her skin. "Sweetie, are you okay?"

Brennan sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I don't understand why I am having a hard time seeing her as just remains. It is completely irrational for me to feel how I do about someone I don't even know."

"Sweetie, it's probably because you don't see something like that every day." Angela replied and rested a hand on Brennan's shoulder. Beeping drew her attention away from her friend. "We've got a match. Mia Thomas, age seventeen, reported missing by her parents in Baltimore."

"Thank you. I'll go tell Booth." Brennan looked at the girls' ID for a couple moments longer before turning to walk away and call Booth from her office.

She could feel the toll this case was taking on her. Ever since two days ago when she and Booth had gotten called to the scene, she hadn't slept much, had close to no appetite, and felt a sense of impending doom. Sweets had noticed the change in her almost immediately and tried talking to her, but she quickly brushed him off, saying she wasn't feeling well. It was the truth, even though she wasn't feeling physically sick.

Sitting down at her desk, she dialed Booth's number.

"Booth."

"Mia Thomas of Baltimore, Maryland. Seventeen years old." She said, her voice drone-like.

"Okay, I am on my way to the Jeffersonian now. Do you want to come with me to speak to her parents?"

Brennan was silent for a few beats, thinking. Maybe if she got out of here for a while it would help. "Yes, I will see you soon." And she hung up before he could respond.

Booth was used to her hanging up abruptly, so he didn't take offense to it, especially after the last couple of days. He had to admit, it had been a long time since he had seen anything that horrible at a scene. It would be a long time before the images would stop haunting him. Constant shivers ran down his spine.

As he pulled up to the Jeffersonian, he saw Brennan standing outside waiting for him. He took in her appearance and his stomach clenched. She never looked like this and he was really starting to get concerned for his friend.

"Have you been home at all?" He asked as she got in and put her seatbelt on.

She looked up at him, realizing she hadn't. "No." Came her simple reply.

"Come on, we're going to your place first. We can't let Mia's family see you like this." Booth stated. Seeing her start to protest, he put his hand up. "Shower or stay, Bones" He demanded.

Her shoulders slumped and she rested against the seat. "Okay."

* * *

The shower felt great. Her muscles already felt a lot less tense and she didn't feel like the world was resting on her shoulders anymore.

After getting dressed, she walked into the kitchen, noticing Booth at the counter looking over photos of the crime scene. The girl's body hanging against the wall, arms and legs strapped down, a bloodied white rag wrapped around her mouth. There was still some flesh covering her bones, showing the wounds that were made from a currently unidentified type of blade on various parts of her body. Below her were the last of her internal organs, whatever the animals and bugs did not consume. In the corner of the dark lit room, a torn up mattress stained with blood lay under a rusted, leaky pipe with a rope attached to it. All of the horrifying scenarios that Brennan imagined came flooding back.

"We need to catch this guy, Booth." Brennan's voice was small behind him. He turned to face her, seeing her glassy eyes staring at the photos.

"We will, Bones. Okay? I promise." She didn't look at him, just simply nodded. "Are you ready to go?" He asked.

"Yes, just let me grab my jacket." She replied and walked away.

* * *

The drive to Mia's house was mostly silent. Booth tried at small talk, but Brennan would quickly respond and continue to stare out of the window, deep in thought. There was no other evidence so far in the case. No particulates, finger or shoe prints, not even tire treads outside the building. It was as though the building was untouched for years, minus the crime scene. Hopefully, she thought, the family could give them some sort of lead to go on. She was feeling helpless, a new, foreign feeling to her.

Walking up to Mia's house held dread and anticipation for them both. This part of being in the field was Brennan's least favorite.

Booth rang the doorbell. Moments later, a middle aged man answered. "Mr. Thomas?"

"Yes, what can I do for you?" He asked, confused.

"Hello, I am Agent Seeley Booth, and this is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan. We're with the FBI. May we come in, please?"

"Yes, please." He moved to let them in. "Gloria! The FBI is here!" He called to his wife. Gloria came walking down the hallway, a small towel moving nervously from one hand to the next.

"Is this about Mia? Did you find her? Is she okay?" She asked. Gloria led them all into the living room and motioned for them to sit on the couch. Her husband sat on a love seat across from them, and she sat on the arm of his seat.

As Booth started talking, Brennan tried to distract herself by looking at family pictures displayed all over the room.

"Mr. and Mrs. Thomas, I'm very sorry to have to tell you this, but we found Mia's remains two days ago." He paused as he heard gasps and sobbing start, watching Mr. Thomas wrap a protective arm around his wife's waist as she cried into his shoulder.

"Wh- where? What happened?" Mr. Thomas asked.

"Brennan looked at the couple. She wished she was better with people, that she had the skills to offer something to help them. She was at a loss and continued sitting here, now looking at her hands.

"She was found outside of Richmond, Virginia. It appears that she has been murdered. I'm so sorry." Booth answered.

Gloria started crying harder. This was becoming too much for Brennan. On a normal day she could handle a small amount of crying, but in this moment, she was feeling the fight or flight brewing inside of her.

"I'm sorry, but we need to ask you a few questions. We're hoping that anything you tell us can help with our investigation." Booth started. The couple nodded in response. "Is there anyone who would want to hurt Mia? An ex-boyfriend, jealous girlfriend…?"

"No." Gloria answered, wiping her eyes. "She was a straight A student and part of many clubs at school. She was even tutoring other students on the weekends. Everyone loved her."

"Did you notice anyone suspicious hanging around your home before Mia went missing?" Brennan chimed in. She tried to be useful, not to look like a bump on a log.

"Well, there was this one guy who came to our house a few days before she went missing. He was saying he was thinking of moving into the neighborhood and wanted to know what it was like. He seemed nice. Not like someone I'd suspect anything like this from." Mr. Thomas answered.

"Did he have any contact with Mia?" Booth asked.

"Yes. She was here. We had invited him in for some coffee and we sat and talked for over an hour."

"Would you be able to give us a description of the man?" Brennan asked. Mr. Thomas nodded. After getting Angela on the phone, she collected the description from the father.

"Is there anything else you can think of that may be useful to us?" Booth asked Mia's mother.

Gloria shook her head. "No, I wish there was." She tried drying her eyes in vain.

Mr. Thomas hung up with Angel. "Please," he asked Brennan, handing her phone back to her, "please find who did this to our baby girl." She took her phone back silently, looking down at the floor.

"We will do everything possible." Booth and Brennan stood up and shook the pair's hands. "We'll be in touch."

Brennan called Angela back as soon as they got in the car.

"Hey, Ang. We're on our way back. Please try to have the sketch done by the time we get there."

"You got it, sweetie. Safe travels." And the women hung up.

Pulling onto the street, Booth looked at his partner. "You good, Bones?"

"I'm fine." Was all she could say.

"We'll find him, Bones. We will." He reassured her. She nodded and stared out the window.

The ride back to the Jeffersonian was silent.

* * *

Please R&R! I hope you liked it. Slow start, but it will be picking up in the coming chapters! Thanks for reading! -Sarah


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the reviews! I have several chapters already set and just need typing up, so if you want me to post them, review! : ) Enjoy the next chapter! –Sarah

* * *

"Mr. Colt, FBI! Open up!" Booth banged on the front on the front door. Nothing. He banged again. Silence. "Wait here," he said looking at Brennan.

That was said in vain. The second he burst through the door, gun drawn, she was right along with him, her own gun clasped in her hands. He let a small puff escape his lips as they searched the apartment.

"Clear," Brennan said. They put their guns away and started looking through the suspects belongings.

There was food on the table, Booth noticed, and it had barely been touched. "Looks like someone left in a hurry," he said.

Brennan nodded while looking through papers stacked neatly on a desk in the living room. "Booth?" She called out, apprehensive. He was by her side in seconds.

"What do you got?"

"These look like blueprints. None of these buildings have been used in years," she stated, showing polaroid pictures to Booth. There was a set of eight to ten pictures per blueprint of entrances, emergency exits, basements, etc.

"I'll get these over to the FBI and we can start searching all of the buildings." Booth gathered everything they needed and took another quick sweep of the apartment for anything else they might have missed. "Let's go. I'll bring you back to the Jeffersonian."

"No, Booth. I want to go." Brennan protested.

Booth sighed. "Fine. But if I tell you to stay put, then stay put, Bones. This guy is dangerous," he caved as they went to the car. He knew there was no sense in arguing with her. She'd just end up following him and he'd rather be able to keep her close by.

* * *

"This is the last building, Bones. We've got three other teams canvasing other buildings as we speak," Booth said while pulling up to the entrance.

Brennan sighed. "We've got to get him, Booth," her voice was laced with anxiety. "I don't know what else we have to go on. This is it."

Booth looked over at his partner. Her knees were bouncing in anticipation and frustration. "Hey," he took her hand in his, not something either of them was used to, but it did get her attention and she focused intently on him, "if this doesn't work, we will find another way. Okay? You're the best out there. I know you'll get justice for Mia."

He could see her slowly starting to relax and a small smile played on her lips. She was grateful she had a partner like Booth. He was dependable, easy to get along with (most of the time), and she knew she could trust every word that he spoke. Even if she didn't understand or believe in some of the things he said, she knew he believed it and that was enough for her.

Two other cars pulled in behind them and the agents got out waiting for Booth to give a signal.

He looked at their hands and then back up to her face. "Let's do this. Stay close." She nodded and let go of his hand.

The feel of this building was just like the others. But nonetheless, Booth remained hopeful. They slowly through the halls of the east wing, Brennan following close behind, while the other agents took other parts of the building, searching in pairs of two. This building had not been kept up with as well as the others. Water leaked through the ceiling above them and into puddles on the floor. It was so quiet you could hear each droplet splash. The air was musty and thick, and cob webs floated loosely as they passed by. Room by room, they came up empty.

Coming to the last room, Booth put his hand up, signaling for her to stay. She nodded, watching through squinted eyes as he entered the dark room. Moments later, her flashlight started flickering and died. She heard a faint noise.

"Booth?" she whispered into the dark room. Nothing. Slowly, she walked into the room. "Booth?" she called out again, slightly louder than the first time.

Suddenly, she felt something stick into the back of her neck and she felt arms catch her as she fell, lowering her to the ground. She was starting to lose consciousness quickly.

"Goodnight, my beauty," a voice came from behind her.

Before losing consciousness completely, she saw Booth lying on the floor next to her, passed out. She tried reaching out to him. "Booth," she managed a choked out whisper before her arm fell, blackness consuming her.

* * *

Blinding light was all Booth saw when he opened his eyes. Where was he? Where was Bones?

"Agent Booth? Can you hear me? Do you know where you are?" he heard.

Booth looked around again. A hospital. Panic consumed him. He tried sitting up. "Where is she? Where's Bones?!" He pulled out all of the tubes and wires attached to him and started getting off of the bed.

"Agent Booth, you were heavily sedated. You need to lie down," the doctor said and put a hand to his shoulder firmly, pushing him back down.

Still exhausted, Booth couldn't fight. "Where's Bones? Where's my partner?" Panic was bleeding through every pore.

"Stay here. I'll bring someone in to speak with you." With that, the doctor left.

Why wouldn't the doctor tell him anything? Was she hurt? Was she dead? Horrible thoughts and worry plagued his mind.

"Agent Booth," he heard a familiar voice and looked up to see Sweets walking quickly to his side.

"Where is Bones, Sweets? Is she okay?" Booth tried getting up again.

"Booth…when they found you in the building, Dr. Brennan was nowhere to be found. Her flashlight was next to you." He paused. "He took her, Booth," Sweets quietly confessed, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"No," Booth stated. His body felt like it was on fire. "No. Where is she?!"

"She's gone, Booth. He has her."

He was in disbelief. "How? I don't understand. She was right outside of the door."

"You were drugged, Booth. He stuck a needle in your neck. The amount of drugs in your system would take down an elephant. There wasn't anything you could have done," Sweets tried relieving any thoughts of blame or guilt, even though he knew his friend would never forgive himself.

Booth's head started spinning. This couldn't be happening. He was supposed to protect her. He let her down. "We need to find her, Sweets." Booth got up, all fatigue gone from his body. "Where are my clothes?"

* * *

Uh oh! What's going to happen to Bones? Will Booth find her in time? Please review! I won't know if you all are enjoying or disliking it otherwise! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! : ) -Sarah


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for reviewing! I appreciate each one! : ) Hope you enjoy this chapter! This one is a little shorter, but leads into a bigger next chapter!

* * *

Brennan opened her eyes and couldn't see anything but black. Her heart started pounding a little harder as panic started seeping in. Turning onto her side, she tried sitting up but couldn't. She tugged at the rope around her wrists in vain. A low growl escaped her lips as she let her head fall back down onto the lumpy mattress below her.

Tears started to prick her eyes. Where was Booth? Was he okay? Was he taken, too? How was she going to get out of this?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a noise coming from outside. She turned her head to the direction of the noise, trying to make out something, anything. All of a sudden, the room was bright. Very bright. She tried shielding her eyes with her arms to no avail. The light was making her head throb.

Groaning, she opened her eyes towards the light above her and nearly jumped, if it was possible, off the bed.

"Good morning, my beauty." His voice was deep, a hint of an English accent hiding in there. She recognized him from the photo ID as the man they were searching for.

"What do you want with me?" Brennan asked, glaring up at him, anger burning behind her eyes. "Where's Booth?" she yelled.

"Now, now. First thing's first, let me introduce myself, although I'm sure you already know who I am. My name is Alexander Colt, and you are…?"

She didn't give him the satisfaction. "Where is my partner? Where's Booth?" she repeated, tugging at the rope around her wrists again, fuming with anger.

Alexander shook his head. "You are Dr. Temperance Brennan. Pleasure to meet you, although I'm sure you'd have preferred under different circumstances." He started pacing very slowly, almost stalking like and animal with its prey.

"Where is-" she began.

"Yes, yes. Where is your precious partner Booth? Don't worry my beauty. He's not here. I'm sure those other agents have gotten him to the hospital by now," he grinned slyly.

Brennan's wrists were starting to burn with all the tugging of the rope, something Alexander took notice of.

"I must say, you're not my usual type, Ms. Brennan. I don't typically go for anyone over nineteen, and mostly blondes. But I have to admit, you are proving that I made the right decision in taking you. Most girls don't give me as much grief as you are. They all just cry and beg to go home. But you," he paused walking closer to her, and then crawled onto the bed, "you, my dear, are a great deal more fun than I had anticipated.

Brennan tried to move away from him as best as she could. Suddenly the smile on his face faded.

"What? You don't want to snuggle?" He shook his head and sat up. Anger started boiling in his veins. Brennan looked up at him, eyes wide at his escalation. "You bitches always think you're too good for me!" he yelled, smacking Brennan hard in the face.

Immediately she tasted blood and she whimpered at the pain. Her face was turned away from him and tears started to well up in her eyes. Without warning, he was on top of her, snarling, and he wrapped his hands around her throat. She started gasping for air, kicking her legs in an effort to free herself. The room quickly started to turn black and she started feeling herself get weaker and weaker. Was this it? Tears were pouring from her eyes and as she looked up at him, his mouth foaming and eyes bulging with anger and hatred, she believed it was.

Then the hands around her neck were gone and she started gasping and choking, her chest heaving with each desperate lungful. Before she could comprehend, he was gone and the room was dark again. Sobs wracked her body for what seemed like hours until exhaustion defeated her, crying herself to sleep.

* * *

Booth walked into the Jeffersonian with more determination than ever. There was so much to be done. He prayed they found something, anything, at the crime scene.

"Hodgins, please tell me we have some evidence," Booth pleaded.

"We do, as a matter of fact. It seems like since he was in such a rush, he was sloppy this time." Hodgins motioned for Booth to follow him. "This type of plant we found is only indigenous in certain parts of Virginia." He pulled a map up onto his computer and isolated the areas. "There is a lot of ground to cover, but I have located all the abandoned buildings, seeing how that seems to be his preference so far."

"How many are we looking at, Hodgins?" Booth asked hastily.

"Thirteen," came his solemn reply.

Booth ran a hand through his tousled hair. "Well, there's no time to waste. Do you want to come into the field and help us with the rescue?" Booth asked.

"I was hoping you'd ask. Yes," he replied taking his lab coat off and putting his fall jacket on.

Booth grabbed his cell and dialed the bureau. "This is Agent Booth. I need all available agents out in the field for a rescue mission. I'll send the locations now." He hung up and scanned the list of buildings into his phone and sent them out. Angela walked up, puffy eyed, as he and Hodgins started to leave. "Angela…"

"Please, Booth," tears brimming her eyes. "Please."

Booth pulled her into a hug. "I'll bring her home, Ange. I promise." With that, he and Hodgins left the Jeffersonian to go to their first building.

* * *

I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Things are really starting to pick up now! Will Booth reach her in time? Please review! Thanks! -Sarah


	4. Chapter 4

Hello, everyone! I'm trying to make sure I post daily so you don't have to wait too long! I really appreciate the reviews! This chapter is a bit intense, so you've been warned! Enjoy! –Sarah

Brennan woke up screaming as hot water was dumped on her.

"Shhh… Don't waste your energy. We're just getting started, my beauty." Alexander grinned like the Cheshire cat, his eyes piercing hers.

Tears started building in her eyes and she scanned over her arms at the first degree burns the water caused. She began to panic again as he started wheeling over a surgical tray to her bedside. Hoping that the hot water had loosened the rope even a fraction, she carefully and slowly tried wriggling her wrists without him noticing.

Uncovering the tray, he smiled again, revealing to her the scalpel, pliers, scissors, and some sort of makeshift branding instrument.

She wanted to scream. Tears stung her burned skin as they cascaded down her cheeks in rivulets, sobs escaping her lips as she. She found herself praying. To whom, she didn't know. To the universe, to anyone, anyone who was listening. She prayed loudly through her heart that Booth would find her. Prayed that if she didn't make it out of this, that Alexander still be caught. Prayed that if she died, Booth would be able to forgive himself for not finding her in time and that he wouldn't lose his own faith.

"What shall we do first, hm?" Alexander asked as he ran his fingers over his prized instruments. His fingers stalled and Brennan watched wide-eyed as he lifted up the scissors. "Well," he continued, "I'd hate for your hair to get sticky before I take it. And I still want it to smell like you so washing it is out of the picture. So," he hovered over her, "how about my keepsake first?"

Brennan started kicking her legs but realized that he had bound them together while she had been passed out.

A grin washed over Alexander's face and a chuckle escaped his lips. "Come on, now. Stay still. You wouldn't want me to miss, would you? I might mistake your ear," he grazed the blades along the outside of her ear, making Brennan audibly gulp, "for a few locks of your hair."

Brennan lay still as he cut an inch of her hair. He brought it to his nose and inhaled, calmness displayed in his features. Turning around, he reached into his pocket and pulled out an aqua colored ribbon and began to lovingly wrap his new treasure with it.

Finding opportunity, Brennan painstakingly wriggled her wrists, feeling a little more give from the rope and it gave her hope. But she had to quickly stop because he turned around and leaned onto the bed.

"Now, because you FBI ransacked all of my other hide-outs, I had to improvise a little. You see, I didn't have time to get my wall of fun together." He pointed above them showing Brennan a large hook hanging above them attached to a long metal chain. "While you were out, I installed that. It'll have to do," he said and stood up on the bed. He grabbed the hook and pulled it down lower, securing it in the rope, and untied the second knot he made which kept it around the pipe. Moving toward the bed, he looked down at Brennan who was visibly shaking with fear. "Going up?" he asked with a grin and started to pull a chain. He pulled the chain until she could just barely touch the bed with her toes. She watched as he put the links around the pipe and secured it with a lock.

"You're not going to get away with this. Booth will find me and he'll make you wish you were dead." Brennan spat at his, something that even surprised herself.

While wiping the saliva from his face, he reached into his pocket with his other hand and pulled out a white rag similar to the one he used on Mia.

"You know," he said looking at her face to face, "I'm going to gain a lot of satisfaction in this." With that he tied the rag over her mouth, securing it behind her head.

Brennan watched as he turned around and walked to the surgical tray. Not wasting any time, she tugged at the rope again, feeling a little more give. Then he turned around and she froze. Had he caught her?

"How about we go with this?" He held the scalpel in his hand. Brennan's muffled protest filled the room as he stalked over to her. And evil grin spread over his face as he spun her around and he lifted her shirt slowly, just below her bra, and raised the scalpel. Brennan sobbed and tried wriggling her wrists more, her body flailing in attempt to get away. That just made his grin wider. "Showtime."

A blood curdling scream filled the room as he pressed the blade into her back and slowly dragged it down four inches. She sobbed and begged for him to stop through the rag. He laughed at her pain and pleas, and then pressed the blade into her again, causing her to scream more.

Focusing all of her energy in trying to free her hands, she tried to block out as much pain as possible. The rope was slowly starting to give.

Without warning, he turned her around and grabbed at her throat. He looked her dead in the eye as Brennan struggled to breathe. Then she felt the scalpel slice just above her collar bone and he released her throat to listen to her anguished scream. She looked through the tears at him and saw the look of enjoyment on his face as he backed away.

"Next!" he shouted in excitement. He turned around and started to contemplate which instrument to use next.

Brennan took the opportunity to finally free her hands, and she fell to the bed. He whipped around and saw her struggle to sit up and try to untie her ankles. She looked up at him and suddenly felt a fist connect with her left cheek. She fell back and spit blood, crying as he climbed on top of her. Luckily for her, she anticipated he would go for her throat again and as he went to grab her, she grabbed his hand with her teeth and sunk them deep, causing him to grown in pain. She let go of his hand and thrust her hips into the air, knocking him off of her, and he fell to the ground holding his hand.

Brennan sat up, feeling the gashes on her back open and burn, and she winced as she untied her ankles. As she got up he was standing in front of her, grinning. He lunged at her and she grabbed his other good hand, bending it backwards and spun him around, bringing him to his knees. Once he was down, she kicked him in the back with everything she had, knocking the wind out of him, and made a run for it.

Her skin burned and all of the wounds throbbed as she ran through the dark building, tears pouring down her face. She peeked behind her after running for a minute and slammed into someone as her head was turned, screaming when they made contact, punching and kicking as arms wrapped around her.

"Bones! Bones! It's me, hey!" Booth tried calming her down. She looked up into his eyes and threw her arms around him, sobbing. "Where is he, Bones?" He asked soothingly, running a hand through her hair.

She pointed down the hall. "I made a left turn at the end of the hall and at the end of that hall, a right. Last door on the left." She spoke into his neck.

Booth motioned for the four other agents to proceed. "Hodgins, call for an ambulance." He picked Brennan up and started making his way out of the building. "Shhh… It's all going to be okay now. I've got you," he soothed. He noticed then that his hands were sticky and his stomach churned, knowing exactly what it was.

"They're a minute out." Hodgins said walking closely behind them. "Hey, Dr. B. Glad to have you back."

Brennan looked up from Booth's neck to Hodgins, a small smile on her lips. "Thank you, Hodgins." He returned her smile as they exited the front door.

"I'll go call the others." Hodgins said heading back to the vehicle.

Booth sat down on the front stairs of the building, cradling Brennan in his arms. Her sobs had calmed by now. He looked down at her and saw so much blood. His heart clenched, hating himself for not getting there sooner.

"Thank you, Booth," came her quiet voice. She was weak and didn't move from her spot on his lap.

"I'm so sorry, Bones." Tears pricked his eyes, and he rested his chin on top of her head.

"No. You saved me. My prayers came true," she said before the exhaustion took over her completely and she fell asleep.

Booth let the tears fall as he heard her breathing even out. She prayed.

He was quickly pulled from his thoughts as he saw the ambulance pull up and the paramedics came with the gurney. They gently took her from his arms and he got up as they loaded her into the back. As they started hooking her up to the machines and started IVs, Booth heard the agents making their way out of the building. He felt all the blood drain from his face when he realized they were empty handed and he ran to them.

"Where is he?" Booth exclaimed.

"Hey got away, Agent Booth. He must have heard us coming when she got away and took off." One of the agents responded.

"Damn-it!" Booth kicked the ground beneath him, sending rocks flying in several different ways, and looked back at the ambulance. "I'm coming with you. Give me a second," he told the paramedics and walked over to Hodgins.

"Where is Mr. Colt?" Hodgins asked confused.

"He got away. Listen, get the team out here and work the scene. I'll get more agents out here to search the woods and surrounding areas." Booth ordered.

"Are you going with her?"

"Yeah. I'll keep you posted." Booth replied. Hodgins nodded and called the Jeffersonian as he walked away, focused.

Booth made a quick call to the bureau and ordered the present agents to start canvasing the area before walking to the ambulance where they were just finishing getting Brennan situated for transfer. He sat down next to her, carefully resting her hand in his so not to cause any pain to her torn up wrists and burned skin. She squeezed his hand and didn't let go, still fast asleep, all the way to the hospital.

I really hope you guys enjoyed this! Please review! I really want to hear what you all think! Thanks! -Sarah


	5. Chapter 5

Hey, everyone! I'm glad that those of you who are reviewing and adding me to favorite/following lists are enjoying my updates! I appreciate the feedback! : ) Here's the next chapter! –Sarah

* * *

Brennan woke up with a jolt, but soon calmed as she realized where she was: a hospital. She looked around the room, her eyes settling upon a sleeping man with his head resting on her bed beside her.

She gently lifted her arms to inspect the burns, surprised to see that they were nearly healed. She wanted to turn on her back, but as soon as she started to roll, the wounds on her back began to burn with pain and she remained on her side.

Light snoring drew her attention back to him, making her smile. She lifted her hand and carefully started running her fingers through his hair, thanking the universe for blessing her life with him. "Booth?" she spoke gently, not wanting to startle him. He started to stir and she pulled her fingers from his hair and took ahold of his right hand. "Booth?" she repeated.

He opened his eyes quickly after hearing her voice and sat straight up, tightening his grip on her hand that he didn't even realize he was holding.

"Bones! H-hey!" He smiled so big and leaned down halfway, resting his elbows on her bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," she smiled. "How long have I been out, Booth?"

He sighed lightly. "Two days. The docs kept you sedated for the first day and a half and then it was a waiting game. A long one, I might add." He gave her a small smile and gently ran his thumb over her knuckles.

Brennan took his features in, studying his face. "You look terrible, Booth." Her smile faded. "You shouldn't have stayed the whole time. I was safe. You should be home sleeping in your bed."

"I haven't been here the whole time. A couple hours here and there to catch a nap…" he trailed off. She couldn't be certain but was that guilt in his voice?

"Why do you look so beaten up, then?" she asked confused.

"Bones, I –"he didn't know how to tell her. Didn't want to see the calmness of her face fade. But he knew she wouldn't let it go. "Bones, when we found you a couple days ago, some other agents went to retrieve Mr. Colt, but…" he cleared his throat, "he wasn't there." He watched her face start to drain of color and her grip on his hand started to tighten.

"H-he's still out there?!" She started shaking, panic consuming her.

"I'm so sorry, Bones. We've been out there 'round the clock looking for him…" Booth looked down at their hands and sighed.

"I know you're doing your best. Thank you, Booth." Brennan's voice was shaky and he heard her holding back tears, causing him to look back up.

"Hey," he saw the pools in her eyes and her chin start to tremble, "listen." He got closer, mere inches from her face, and caressed her cheek. "He will never hurt you again, Bones. And I will not stop until I find him. I promise. Okay?" A tear slid down her cheek and he brushed it away with his thumb.

Brennan nodded looking at him. "I should get back to work tomorrow. I'm useless in here. I want to be out there with you," she said quietly.

Booth chuckled lightly. "You focus on getting better first." He started sitting back up but she pulled him back down.

"No." She stated seriously, her voice more firm. "I'll be fine. I can't let him to this to another girl. He may even already have one. I'm going back to work tomorrow." She looked him in the eyes, giving him a stern look.

Booth nodded. "Okay, I get it, Bones. But you will stay at the Jeffersonian until the stitches come out. Compromise." He returned her stern look.

Brennan sighed, loosening her grip on him, allowing him to sit up. "Okay."

"Good," Booth nodded and stood up. "Listen, I should probably get back out there. I'll let the doc know you're awake, okay?" He smoothed his hair and rubbed his eyes.

"Thank you, Booth. For everything." She said sitting up in bed. She started to sit her pillows up, leaning on one arm and winced as she accidently stretched too far, pulling at the stitches.

"Careful, Bones." Booth was by her side, helping her finish her task and helped her get comfortable. "You good?" He asked, leaning over her.

"Yes, thank you," she replied, embarrassed. She was used to taking care of herself. She didn't like relying on anyone for such small tasks.

He gave her a small smile and without thinking, placed a kiss on her forehead. The simple gesture took them both off guard and he awkwardly stood up straight and cleared his throat.

"Alright, then. I'll be back soon." He straightened his clothes out and gave her a smile, which she returned.

"Booth, you can go home tonight." She said giving him a look.

He nodded. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Booth. Sleep in your bed and get a good night's rest. I'm okay."

"Alright," he said moving to the door. "I'll be back first thing in the morning." He replied.

Brennan laughed lightly, rolling her eyes at him as he turned and left. Subconsciously, she traced the spot where he kissed her forehead.

* * *

A shorter chapter, but an important installment for this fic! ; ) I hope you enjoyed. Please review and tell me your thoughts!

-Sarah


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you for the reviews guys! Getting right into it! Here you go! Enjoy! : )

* * *

Her first day back had been very welcoming and support from all of the staff at the Jeffersonian warmed her heart. Angela cried, as she expected, but reassured her she was fine. She thanked everyone who played a part in finding her and expressed how grateful she was for each of them.

But that was the only good that came from today. Many items from Alexander's apartment had been brought in and so far, halfway through processing them, they had found nothing useful. Still, Brennan remained calm and hopeful that they would find something that would help locate him.

"Hey, Dr. B." Hodgins walked up to her as she was putting aside another useless item.

"Hodgins, what can I do for you?" she asked looking up.

"I just wanted to check on you…being your first day back and all…" He watched her grab something from out of a box to her left. "I was wondering, since it's getting pretty late, if maybe you should take it easy and go home tonight." He saw her shoulders tense up.

"I'm okay, Hodgins. I'll finish up with this box and grab a nap in my office," she replied not looking up at him.

"Are you –"

"Seriously, Hodgins." She snapped her head up, coming off more harsh than she meant to. "I'm sorry." She gave an apologetic smile. "I'm fine. Really."

"Okay, Dr. B." Hodgins said and walked away, letting her continue. He walked through the lab to Angela's office, and upon hearing him, she looked up.

"Hey," she smiled.

"Hey… Does Dr. B seem alright to you?" he asked.

"Sweetie, of course she's not… Look what she's just been through. Why? Did something happen?" Angela asked getting up from her desk and walking over to him.

"She said she was going to nap here and was really tense and snappy, Ange. You think maybe she doesn't want to be alone at home?"

"Maybe. I'll talk to her." She gave him a small smile.

"Thanks, Ange."

Angela moved closer to him, resting a hand on his shoulder, and kissed him on the cheek. With that she left him alone in her office and walked to the platform in search for Brennan.

"Hey, Sweetie."

"Hodgins sent you, didn't he?" Brennan asked abandoning the items in front of her.

"He's concerned. Can you blame him? We all are," Angela reasoned.

"I'm fine, Ange…" Brennan sighed.

"Okay, but be honest with me. Do you not want to go home tonight because you don't want to be alone?" She cut to the chase.

Brennan looked at her expressionless. "That obvious?"

"It's understandable, sweetie. And nothing to be ashamed of. Why didn't you say something?" Angela took a seat on one of the chairs.

"I don't know, Ange." She sat down next to her and ran a hand through her hair. "It's not like this is the first time something bad has happened to me… I was always okay being home by myself afterward… I can't explain why, but this time it feels different."

"You have a guest room, right? I'll go home with you tonight. You should be in your own bed and not on your couch," Angela offered.

"I can't ask you to do that, Angela." Brennan protested, shaking her head.

"You didn't. I offered. Plus, we haven't had a girl's night in a long time." She winked at her friend.

Brennan gave her a smile. "Thanks. You really are a good friend."

"Anytime! Now, let's go. We've got half of the lab working through the night on this. We can continue tomorrow."

Brennan didn't want to leave yet but there was no use in arguing. Angela could be really stubborn when she wanted to be, so she gathered her personal belongings and they set off for home.

* * *

Booth sat at the bar tossing back his fourth scotch. Another day of dead ends. He personally went back to the area he found Brennan to search for clues, but came up empty handed.

He needed to stop this. To stop her from coming out in the field with him. It felt like a rock hit the bottom of his stomach just thinking of not working side by side with her anymore, but he couldn't handle something happening to her ever again. This time he nearly lost her.

Guilt wracked his entire being as he tossed back another scotch, his body starting to feel the effects of the alcohol.

She wouldn't handle him telling her that he wanted her to stay at the Jeffersonian very well. She might even be angry with him. But he'd rather have an angry Temperance Brennan than a dead one any day.

He tapped the bar for another refill, which the bartender complied. "Last one. We're closing up, buddy."

Booth nodded, tossed back the scotch and tipped the glass to the bartender. "Thanks, pal," he mused. He reached into his wallet and laid down a hundred dollar bill. "Keep the change."

He left the bar, hands in his pockets. It felt like a night of walking was in store for him. He needed to clear his head, but his thoughts always came back to he let her down.

Rage coursed through his veins and he punched a road sign that he was walking passed. The streets were mostly clear; he only gained one person's attention for a split second.

If he wasn't able to protect her, then she wasn't going to be in the field, he thought to himself. In his own mind, it was final.

* * *

Brennan woke with a start, hearing loud banging. She reached over to her bedside table, grabbed her gun and slowly made her way to the front door. She was surprised the banging didn't wake Angela. Gun raised, she looked through the peep hole, instantly relaxing, and opened the door.

"Booth, what are you doing here? It's the middle of the night." She moved to let him in and placed the gun onto an end table.

"Oh, you know, I was just out for a stroll." He walked passed her and she could smell alcohol.

"Booth, are you drunk?" she asked shutting the door and she followed him.

"No –"He stumbled into the couch, laughed, and sat down. "Okay, just a little."

"Do you need me to call you a cab?" she asked sitting next to him.

He ran his hands over his face and looked at her. "No more field, Bones."

"Wh-what? Booth, that's my decision. Not yours." Her voice rose a little louder.

"No. Not when I can't protect you." He shook his head, a disgusted expression on his face, no longer looking at her. "I can't let anything bad happen to you ever again, Bones. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." His voice got quiet with his confession.

"Things happen, Booth. It's not your fault. You didn't do this to me. And you can't keep me safe by locking me away in a little box, either. It doesn't work that way," she reasoned.

"That was very poetic, Bones, but no." Booth looked at her and she was shocked to see tears in his eyes. "I almost lost you."

She moved over closer to him and he sat forward, elbows on his knees.

"But you didn't. I'm right here, Booth. And as long as I am here, my place in this world is out there. With you. We're partners, Booth." Her voice was soft.

"How can you still trust me after all this?" Booth exclaimed.

"I'm alive. Because of you." She gave him a warm smile.

He looked at her hard, studying her, and returned the smile.

"Partners?" She asked.

"Partners." He agreed.

They sat there in silence just looking at each other, completely content, and Booth's smile got bigger.

"What?" Brennan mimicked his smile nervously.

"Nothing," he said and looked away, rubbing his hands over his thighs. He stood up and she followed.

"Do you need me to call you a cab? Or, the couch is free… I can give you a ride to your car in the morning." She stood there, feeling slightly awkward, and she didn't know why.

"Thanks, Bones, but uh… I can handle it." He smiled, pulling out his phone. "I'll see you soon."

She walked him to the door and watched him as he left, a smile on her face.

* * *

Please review! Hope you enjoyed!


	7. Chapter 7

A big thank you to those who are following, adding my fic to their favorites, and reviewing! I don't want any of you to get discouraged if this fic isn't what you think it would be! Please know I have this fic planned out perfectly! But what would Bones be without a little angst? ; ) Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Throwing it out there for another reminder, I don't own Bones, its characters, or all that fun stuff.

* * *

The past few weeks went by quietly, no leads brought to their attention. It was as though Alexander had disappeared off the face of the earth.

Brennan eventually, after a little over a week, felt safe enough to be home alone. She finally felt like her life was starting to go back to normal. Well, all but one thing.

After the night Booth showed up at her place, he'd been very different. He didn't come around often, and when he did, he was awkward and strictly business. Brennan didn't know why and whenever she would ask him if he was okay, he'd come up with some random excuse as to why he wasn't himself. She didn't want to push him, but she was starting to get fed up with it. She missed him. Missed his smile. Missed him picking on her and correcting her. She just wanted the old Booth back.

She heard her cell phone ringing as she drove to the Jeffersonian alone, which felt like the unfortunate new normal, and she glanced at the screen to see who it was. Speaking of the devil…

"Brennan," she answered casually.

"Hey. Can you meet me at a crime scene?" Booth said in a flat tone.

"Sure. Text me the address." She hung up. Even talking to him on the phone lately hadn't felt the same. She stopped making an effort in trying to get more than a location out of him and stopped trying to offer up anything more than test results and the like.

Her cell phone chimed as the text from Booth came though and she looked at the address and started on her new destination, still lost in thought.

Brennan really thought after that night, things would be great between them, better even. She certainly didn't see this coming and she wanted – no, needed – to know if she had done anything wrong to cause his behavior.

The crime scene was a lot closer than the Jeffersonian and she pulled up to it only minutes after hanging up with Booth. She saw him standing next to his vehicle waiting for her, his arms crossed over his chest. She couldn't read his expression as he wore his sunglasses and his eyes were his biggest giveaway.

Brennan put the car in park and took a deep breath before getting out to put her field suit on. As she was zipping it up, she heard familiar footsteps coming closer in her direction and looked up to see him.

"Hey," she said quietly looking back into her trunk to gather her supplies.

"Hey," he replied, taking some of the items from her to help. "Thanks for coming."

"Sure… What do we got?" she asked as she shut the trunk and they made their way to the scene.

"Dog walker found the remains." Booth was going to be a man of few words again, she could already tell. They got to the remains and Brennan started her initial assessment.

"Young female between the ages of fifteen and twenty. Cause of death… too early to tell. The stage of decomp puts time of death between seventy-two and ninety-six hours." She could feel his eyes boring into her back from behind and she normally wouldn't care, but with his new attitude lately, she was feeling awkward. "Let's get her transported to the Jeffersonian. I can do more there," she said to some agents.

"That's it?" Booth asked as he watched her take off her gloves and she started heading back to her car.

"Yeah," she simply stated. "I'll call you if I find anything."

He stopped following her and stood there watching her leave.

* * *

After arriving at the Jeffersonian, everyone started doing their own parts. Things were running like normal until Hodgins came jogging up onto the platform with an evidence bag containing a small piece of paper inside.

"Dr. B." His face was pale.

"What is it, Dr. Hodgins?" she asked taking the evidence bag from him.

"Look," was all he could say and ran a hand over his face.

Brennan opened the bag and unfolded the piece of paper and started to read aloud. "My beauty, I hope you enjoy your present as much as I did. Love – A."

The piece of paper and bag fell from her hands and she took off, running to her office. She paced the floor, back and forth, back and forth. Suddenly hot flashes came wave after wave and she took her jacket off. Cam walked up to her office in time to see Brennan leaning over the trash bin and went to hold her hair for her. She kept heaving even when there was nothing left to come out.

"Shhh…" Cam rubbed her back in clow circles.

When Brennan sat back and leaned against her desk, Cam reached over and grabbed a tissue and bottled water from the table and handed them to her. Brennan gladly accepted the items, rinsing and wiping her mouth.

"What happened?" Cam asked confused.

"It's him. Alexander Colt. He did it." Brennan was still trying to catch her breath and was visibly shaking as she got up to move to her couch.

"What?" Cam was shocked.

"Call Booth. Don't tell him why, but just get him over here. Please. I'll tell him." She leaned over clutching her stomach as another wave of nausea started to hit her again, swallowing it down.

"You got it." Cam said and quickly went to her task.

* * *

A short, bridge chapter. I hope you enjoyed! Please review! I really want feedback! Thank you, all! - Sarah


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